It's the Chor Muang in Bangkok, green mojitos in Taipei and a watermelon martini in Barcelona

In the hospitality industry, "F&B" is shorthand for "food & beverage." At W Hotels, Sarah Doyle, director of global brand management at the division of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., says it is "B&F," "because beverage comes before food."

Specialty cocktails are integral to the W brand, which now counts 44 hotels world-wide, Ms. Doyle says. The bar area is typically prominently located in the hotel's lobby, which is known as the "heart of the...